Method of making axle housings



March 8, V1927.

2 Sheets-'Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 21. 1926 Nihil Hull Mmh s, 1927. 1520,616

A. L. LAMBERT METHOD OF MAKING AXLE HOUSINGS filed Jan. 21. 192e 2 lsheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

Ultra-1 stares ALBERT L. LAMBERT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA', ASSIGNOR TO` ]`:`l'5]1`l]1\l".[Z``

MANUFACTURING' COMPANY, 0F PILILADELPHIA', PENNSYLVANIA, A' COREUR'A-y l TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Application filed January 21, 1926. Seriall No.. 8236201;

rlhis invention relates to axle housings, and more particularly to laxle housing sections comprising stamped sheet metal, andf to method of makingthesame.

The pirincipalwobject of my invention is to provide axle housing. sections Which are formed Witlrintegral reinforcements Where increased strength. is desired, and with lightened portions Where less strengzgith is required,to the end that the sections may be made quickly, inexpensively and economical-ly, and at theA same timehave extreme durability and strength, combined with lightness in Weight.. A further objectofwmy invention is to provide a method of making axle housing sections of the character described. Other'obj'ects of this invention Will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

ln order that a clearer understanding of my invention maybe had, attention is hereby directed to the-'accompanying draw-ings,

forming a part of this application and il lustrating certain possible embodiments of my invention.

Referring'to the drawings, Fig. l is a plan of a blank* of sheet metal from Which an axle housing section embodying my invention may be` made by practicing the methodv of my invention; Fig.` 2 is an end view of the same; Fig. 3 is a view of the blank after the same has been expanded crosswise at the portions which are to form the shoulders of the finished housing section; Fig. a is a sectional view thereof, and is taken on the line -l-vll of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a vievv of the expanded blank cut down to shape for bending into U-form with channel crosssection, the metal cut away being indicated by dot and dash lines; Fig. '6 is a side vieu7 of the cut-downblank bent into U-form with channel cross-section, and indicating in dotted lines the uneven fins of metal which are present along the longitudinal edges of the stamping at the end of this opera-tion; Fig. 7 is a sectional view thereof, and is taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a view of the U-shaped, stamped, housing section With the longitudinal edges smoothed down and straightened and the fins eliminated; Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same; Figs. l0, ll and l2 are each a sectional view thereof, and are taken, respectively, on the lines 10--l0,

ll-ll and 12-12 of Fig. 9; Fig. 13 is. a`

di agra-mmatical sectional View of the original blank being` operated upon by the; Hatten* ing and spreadlng die; Fig. M' is-a diagrammatical section-al vie-W of the axle housing sec-tion associated with the die which pen` forms the first bending operation, the diebein shown open; Yand Fig. 15; is adiagram/-` mat-ical sec-tional view of the section, shaped by the first bending operation, associated with. a` die for smoothing and straightening ghe longitudinal edgesy and eliminating the ns, reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the severalfyieWs of the draw mos. l

liteferring to the drawings, the finished axle housing section (see Figs. 8 to- 12,. inclusive) is of customary. shape, being chan'- nel-shaped in cross-section, i and, longitudinally comprising a bowed central :section l and oppositely extendingarms-2. At; the shoulder portions 31`o1f this section, the metal is thin-ned, but the adjacent side Wallis 4 are of unreduced thickness. The longitudinal edges 5' of the section are smooth and flat, which is quite'im/portant,- for this; facilitates the Welding of tvvorof thesev sectionstogether to form the complete housing, since, if the `meeting edges oif the sections are rough and uneven, the Weld is apt to` be "aulty and Weak, and when the edges are smooth and even, a betterandstronger Weld is insured, and much time and labor is avoided in correcting a Weld which would otherwise be Weak and faulty. y

i have provided a simple, effective and economical method of manufacturing sections of this character integrally out of flat strips of sheet metal, such as 20. The iirst step is to subject the blank 2O to a die couple 2l, which fiattens the blank at the places which are to become the shoulder portions 3 in the finished section. rlhe die operates to iiatten only the center portions 22 and to leave the edge portions 23 of the original thickness. The blank is then cut to shape, by removing some along each long edge, to form points 24 in the portions 23, which Will be the meeting edges between the arms and the bowed section of the finished housing section. The blank is then stamped into U-form and transverse channel shape, by subjecting the blank to a suitable die couple 25. This the die being shown closed. Similar operation usually results in the formation of fins 26 and unevenness, as at 27, along the longitudinal edges of the arm portions of ythe housing section. This blank is then subjected to vanother die couple 28, which presses down the ns 26 and smooths and evens the longitudinal edges of the housing section arms without distorting the shape oi' the section. The housing section is now complete and ready for welding to a complementary section to form a complete housmg.

From the above, itwill be apparent that the method is simple and ecenomical and is conducive to the making of improved aXle housing sections quickly and uniformly. It will also be apparent that the aXle housing section eifects an economy in weight and material without strength being sacrificed where it is required. The housing section is strong and durable and tends to eliminate faulty and weak Welding of two sections together into a complete housing.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and as many apparently Widely different embodiments ot this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is 1. The method of making axle housing sections, which consists of widening laterally to the required width predetermined porv tions of a sheet metal blank which would otherwise be too narrow for the section, leaving metal of the original thickness of the blank at the side edges of the widened portions, the blank being thereby rendered thinner between said side edges, cutting the blank down to predetermined shape, and fashioning the blank to have a bowed portion with oppositely extending arms and to have transverse curvature, with said widened portions located at the juncture between the arms and the bowed portion, so that the side walls at the widened portions will have the original thickness of the blank.

2. The method of making. axle housing sections, which consists of widening laterally to the required width predetermined portions of a sheet metal blank which would otherwise be too narrow for the section, leaving metal of the original thickness of the blank at the side edges of the widened portions, the blank being thereby rendered thinner between said side edges cutting the blank down to predetermined shape, ashioning the blank to have a bowed portion with oppositely extending arms and to have transverse curvature, with said widened portions located at the juncture between the arms and the bowed portion, so thatthe side walls at the widened portions will have the original thickness of the blank, and stamping the longitudinal edges down so as to render them smooth and even.

3. The method of making axle housing sections, which consists of widening laterally to the required width predetermined portions of a sheet metal blank which would othewise be too narrow for the section, leaving metal of the original thickness of the blank at the side edges oit the widened por tions, the blank being thereby rendered thinner between said side edges cutting the blank down to predetermined shape, ashioning the blank to have a bowed portion with oppositely extending arms and to have transverse curvature, with said widened portions located at the juncture between the arms and the bowed portion, so that the side walls at the widened portions will have the original thickness of the blank, and stamping the longitudinal edges down so as to render them smooth and even, while preventing distortion of the transverse curvature of the section.

This speciiication signed this 18 day of January, 1926.

ALBERT L. LAMBERT. 

